Hundreds protest outside NRA convention in Texas days after massacre in Uvalde
HOUSTON — Hundreds of people protested for gun control outside the annual National Rifle Assn. convention here Friday, days after the country’s latest mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 21 people were killed, including 19 children.
The scene reflected the mood of a deeply divided country, with NRA opponents and supporters arrayed on opposite sides of the street, hard against two sets of barricades, with dozens of Houston police in between.
On one side, protesters chanted, “Protect our kids, not guns!” and hoisted signs that read, “No more thoughts and prayers” and “Your hobby isn’t worth our kids’ lives!” On the other side, convention attendees snapped photos and smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” shouted Army veteran Zaykeese Riley, 23, of Houston, who held a sign that said, “Really, again?”
Riley, who grew up hunting and trained with automatic rifles in the military, said the age limit to buy AR-15-style rifles should be raised and training required, as it is in the military.
Next to him, Dr. Erik Antonsen, 47, said he works at a
